The Taste of Home Baked Bread

I have never attempted to bake a bread at home before. I got this beautiful book some time ago, on how to bake a bread, but never had a courage to try. Until today......

I did it! I actually baked my own bread! How amazing is that. I know I'm crazy. 

And  I'm going to share with you how easy is to make this bread. Anyone can make it, honestly anyone. And you don't have to have a bread making machine ( still I wouldn't mind one :).

In the last few years, several methods of making No Knead Bread dough have been posted on the Internet and  various food blogs, and no doubt gained popularity.

It was Jim Lahey who owns Sullivan Street Bakery in Manhattan who started this revolutionary method.

No Knead Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour *

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast *

1 1/2 cups water ( cold or room temperature)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.It might look very messy but that's ok'. In addition I added 1 extra table spoon of water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.I kept the bowl into the airing cupboard on a shelf,it gave that little bit of warmth.But you can just leave it on a kitchen table. Heat oven to 450 degrees.(230 C)  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. I use kitchen towel covered with baking paper and scatter with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

* I used strong white bread flour

* About the yeast.....

Instant yeast is a little more potent than active dry yeast and can be mixed in with your dry ingredients directly. I  find it much  easier to work with. Active dry yeast works just as well as instant yeast, but requires being activated in a little bit of warm water before being added to the rest of the ingredients. Failure to properly activate it will result in your loaf not rising adequately. 

After 12 h. your dough should look like that. Bubbling away! It's very sticky too, but it's supposed to be.

Now meet my orange Le Creuset pot. He is the king of the pots in my kitchen, and well deserves this place :) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees - 230 C.As soon as it has heated to 230 C.place your pot with the lid in the oven and pre-heat your pot for 30 min.

P.S.you can use any pot that can take the heat. Pyrex dish with a lid, enamel pot with a lid or any cast iron casserole pot with a lid works well too.

after you shape your dough, cover  it with the plastic wrap that was over the bowl and leave for 30 min.to rest.

Remove the pot from the oven and carefully pick up the ball of dough and drop it into the pot.  You may want to flour your hands, because the dough is going to stick like crazy.  Remember the pan is now 230 C hot!  Be careful.  Put the lid on the pot and return it to the oven for 30 minutes.P.S.You don't need to oil or grease the pot!

Can you believe how gorgeous that is.  When you put the dough into the pan, it looks like a shaggy mess and when you take of the lid, you have a masterpiece.  Remove the lid from the pot and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. 

  

 That's all! You can now make yourself a cup of tea while waiting for bread to cool or make a nice bowl of soup to go with your bread. 

P.S.any questions about the making of bread please do ask :)

Red Pepper and Cabbage Soup

You will need: 

1 onion peeled and chopped

2 carrots peeled and grated

2 celery sticks chopped 

2 red peppers cut into pieces

2 medium size potatoes peeled, cut into little cubes

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3/4 of white cabbage sliced

 2 l.Vegetable stock

1 clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

P.S.if you like some spicy version just add half of red chilly pepper with out seeds.

Heath the olive oil in a large saucepan,add onion,carrots,celery,peppers,potatoes and saute for about 7-10 min.on a low heat. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 2 min.Then add cabbage and vegetable stock and cook for about 20 min.or till all vegetables are soft and mushy.Use electric hand blender to blend your soup.Voila! A healthy sunshine in a bowl :)